Black Awakening
by Broken-Wings1997
Summary: REWRITTEN:16 year old Ichigo is thrown out of his everyday life when he becomes a vampire and has to find out what it's like to live off the blood of other living creatures. He is taken in by a coven of vampires called 'the vizards' and will be apart of a large master plot. Vizardcentric. IchiRuki, ShinYori, KenMashi, RoSa
1. It Begins

Hey guys. I started this story quite a while ago, but after rereading it and working on my writing, I thought I'd rewrite it. I know a lot of people were enjoying it, and I liked the concept, so I figured I'd start over, hmmm? Let me know what you guys think. I know my grammar and spelling STILL needs a bit of work, but I'm a new writer, so go easy, k?

* * *

_ My throat burns. Where am I?_ Brown eyes slowly drifted open. Ichigo looked around, curious about his new surroundings. His eyes burned when they caught a glimpse of the sun peeking through the dark black curtain hanging from the window. He sat up, balling the white sheets under him up with his fists. His throat was dry and he was breathing heavily. _How long was I out for?_ It was clearly daytime. It had felt like he'd been asleep for weeks. The orange haired boy stood up, trying to clear his head.

He jumped back slightly when he heard the doorknob begin to turn. The wood creaked as the large cherry wood door opened. "Hm, you're awake so soon?" Ichigo's eyes drifted over the blonde man in front of him. He was thin and only a little shorter than he was. The man's face twisted into a wide, toothy grin. "I thought you were gonna take longer. You've been out longer than most of us."

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo snapped, finally getting past the dryness in his throat.

"Oh! How rude of me! Hirako Shinji, at yer service." The lanky man gave him a sarcastic bow. Ichigo could feel his throat tighten up as the dryness got worse. His hands instinctively came to his throat, wrapping around it in a failed attempt to sooth it. "Oh, ya just woke up so yer probably pretty hungry, huh?" He chuckled. Shinji brought a sharp nail to his wrist, digging it into the flesh to draw a bit of blood.

"Wh-what the hell are you doing!?" Ichigo asked in a frantic fit.

"Look, if ya don't wanna pass out again, I suggest you take a sip." Ichigo was completely paralyzed, not understanding the situation. Was he crazy?

"I'm not gonna do that!" His mind told him no, but he could feel his body moving toward the thin man. His mind became consumed with a crimson red lust, clouding his actions from him. When he had finally come back down from wherever he went, he could feel the warm liquid staining his clothes and dribbling down his face. Had he just drank **blood**?

"Feelin' better now?" Ichigo was in shock. First he couldn't remember anything other than his name and age, now he was drinking blood from some man who he guessed had kidnapped him. "Listen, I know this is a lot to take in at one moment, but yer gonna need blood to survive. Preferably human blood. My blood will only keep ya stable for a bit." It was becoming clear to the teenager. He wasn't **human** anymore.

"So I'm… A vampire?" He asked. Shinji's face twisted back into a grin and he nodded.

"That's right." There was a white flash before Ichigo had Shinji pinned against a far wall, hands around his throat and eyes set to kill. "Ya can't kill me like this you know." He laughed at the boy.

"You did this to me, didn't you?" Ichigo's gripped tightened when no response came from the blonde except him protruding his tongue at the younger boy in a mocking manner. "Didn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, it was me."

"Why?"

"You were dyin' and I couldn't just sit back and watch some kid die, ya know?" Ichigo's gaze intensified before he let go of his 'creator', dropping him to the floor. "You can be mad at me all ya want, but that's not gonna change a thing. If I were you, I'd be mad at the dumbasses who tried ta kill ya." He was right. Ichigo hadn't really thought about the fact that somebody had tried to **kill** him.

"Alright, fine, but don't expect me to be your new best friend."

"Wouldn't count on it 'buddy'" Shinji mocked. They stared each other down in silence for a good couple minutes. Suddenly, a shrill shriek broke through the silence, alarming everyone. Shinji had been gone quicker than Ichigo could blink, so he decided he'd run and follow the direction of the scream.

"Mashiro shut the fuck up!" The next voice was loud, and angry, but not one he recognized. There was a number of whimpers and wails after the yelling. Ichigo peeked his head around the corner, looking down the stairs into what he guessed was the common room.

"There are more of them?" He asked himself. At the bottom of the stairs, was a small girl, with lime green hair and a large, body builder like man with silver hair. He didn't know what was going on, but from where he stood, it didn't look good. The girl was lying on the ground, he white night dress stained with blood, while she flailed her limbs back and forth. "Hey!" Ichigo yelled. The man shot him a glair.

"What do you want?" He asked the boy.

"What'd you do to her?" Before Ichigo could ask any more questions, Shinji was next him, a hand on his shoulder, trying to tame him.

"No need to play hero here, Ichigo. This is an everyday thing." The blonde assured him. _Every day? Are these people insane?_ "Kensei, what happened this time?" He shouted down to the silver haired man, trying to be heard over the flailing girl.

"I was trying to limit her blood intake, but she got mad because she said she was still hungry." Shinji gave an understanding nod before turning back to Ichigo.

"Mashiro is the 'newest' out of the rest of us. She's only been here about two years, so everything is still kind of new to her. She tends to take more than she needs and doesn't like feeding off of humans."

"I thought we needed to feed off of humans." Ichigo pondered.

"Well, not exactly. Human blood sustains us for longer, so we don't need to hunt as often, but to vampires, another vampires blood tastes better." Shinji explained. "Since you're new, we want to teach you soon to live off human blood. We made the mistake of giving Mashiro too much blood from our kind, so now she can't really survive off of human blood." The whole thing was becoming more and more twisted as they went, and if Shinji wasn't wearing a serious expression, he wouldn't have believed him.

"Kensei~!" Mashiro wailed, sitting up and rubbing her eyes of the tears building up. Kensei huffed at her, lifting her up off the ground since she was done throwing her tantrum. She let out a yawn, wrapping her arms around the man's neck before closing her eyes. He let out another groan, before heading up the stairs. He stopped and looked at Shinji.

"What are we going to do about her? She's going to over power herself if we don't fix this." Kensei asked the other vampire. Shinji pondered for a second before thinking up a solution.

"We'll take 'er to Kisuke tomorrow. For now I want ya to not feed her anymore, and if she retaliates, I want you to take her down to the study and restrain her. This needs to stop." Kensei nodded at Shinji's idea walking down the hall and to his room. Ichigo could feel the prescience of others, jumping when he had noticed some of them sitting on the couch, while others stood in corners, watching idly by.

"How many of you are there?" Ichigo asked.

"There are eight, not counting you." Shinji used his hand to gesture to the others to come forward. "I'll introduce you." The first person he pointed to was a raven haired girl. She was about average height and her blue eyes were buried in a magazine she held in front of herself. "That's Lisa."

"Hi." She said, barely looking up from her magazine. The next set of people was both a set of tall men. One was lanky, with long blonde hair; the other had darker skin, a star shaped afro, and sunglasses shielding his eyes.

"I'm Rose." The blonde said, giving Ichigo a lazy smile.

"Love." The other one introduced. They had finally come to the person who drew Ichigo's attention the most. He was a large, round man, with pink hair and a matching rat under his nose.

"Hachigen Ushoda, pleased to meet you." He gave Ichigo a warm smile, the most welcoming of the bunch.

"Well, you met Mashiro and Kensei, sorta, so I think that's everyone." Shinji said. He was suddenly knocked back by a small, blonde girl. She let out a growl pulling and Shinji's hair.

"What the hell ya baldy! Yer not gonna introduce me?!" She snapped.

"Yer not worth introducin' Hiyori! Nobody cares about monkeys!" He managed to roll, flipping them so he was hovering over her and pulling at the high pigtails in her hair. Their banter went on for a good ten minutes before Love and Rose had to pull the two apart.

"Hey Shinji, I thought you said Mashiro was the youngest." He looked confused at the small blonde girl.

"She is. Hiyori was turned when she was 13 in 1942. Mashiro was 15 when she was turned in 2011. Hiyori's been alive much longer, though she doesn't act like it." Shinji explained.

"You wanna say that again, dumbass?!" She yelled, throwing a yellow sandal across the room at the blonde's face.

"Dammit Hiyori!" Shinji yelped, holding his bleeding nose. Were these really the people Ichigo was going to have to spend most of his time with? He could feel his blood begin to boil at the thought of living a life in the shadows, hunting humans and fearing the sun.

"We can go in the sun light." Rose spoke up. Ichigo's eyes shot open, horror struck at the man.

"Wha- how did you-"

"My gift. I read minds. I can hear every last little thought running through your head." Rose smiled at the boy.

"What the hell can't you monsters do?!" He yelled. Suddenly, the air changed. Ichigo found himself pinned against the wall this time, Shinji giving his a deadly look.

"You think he **chose **this? Well you're wrong. All of us were brought here by force. We know how you're feeling, but we're far from **monsters**." He growled. "I don't expect you to be comfortable with us, but the least you could do is think about how the rest us feel." He released Ichigo, exiting the room before he further lost composure. The others soon followed, leaving Ichigo alone to his thoughts.


	2. Our Story

This chapter is mainly giving the Vizards their back story. It's not much, but we're still at the beginning. Hang in there, I have A LOT more planned.

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Ichigo had spent the next week in his room. He hadn't fed, or talked to anyone, or even attempted to escape. They would have let him leave if he wished. But was it that he didn't wish to leave? Ichigo had pondered this for quite some time. What was it that drew him to these people? He decided he'd take this opportunity to leave and explore the warehouse. It was deceiving to the eyes.

On the outside, it looked rundown, abandoned. The inside was different. The bedrooms looked as though they belonged in some house in the suburbs. Ichigo hadn't understood how they matched his room to his personality so well. The walls were dark blue, with simple white shutters over the windows, only the necessities of furniture and an occasional poster here and there. The hallways were dimly lit, cement walls and floors. His senses ran wild, as he payed attention to every sound, texture, and vibrant color. The oranges haired boy even payed attention to the noise his socks made against the cement floor.

He stopped in his tracks at the familiar presence behind him. "Where're ya goin, Ichigo?" Shinji asked him.

"I don't even know." He huffed. He walked to stairs, sitting down. Shinji took a seat next to him, twisting his own face into another pleased smile.

"You were lonely, weren'tcha?" The sixteen year old gave him a distasteful glare, before nodding in response. "We aint mad at ya kid." He assured the new vampire.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did all of you come together?" Shinji thought for a second, running his lanky fingers through his blonde hair.

"It's a bit of a long story, so ya better get comfortable."

* * *

It was 1939. World War II had just begun and I was a young man at the age of 18. At the time, we only had issue with China, but I wasn't busy fighting them. We were supposed to be hunting down _them_. The undead, undetected; the vampires. With the existence of vampires, come those who wish to destroy them. I found myself back to back with my three comrades. We had been hunting down three certain people; traitors of our ranks.

Hunters turned vampire by their own free will. We hadn't expected to come face to face with their 'leader'. His dark eyes shun as the moon bounced off of them. I heard a growl exit Kensei's lips, while the fresh bit on his next gushed a sickening shade of red. "Ya ok there Kensei?" I asked him.

"I'll be fine; we just gotta catch this bastard." One of Kensei's own subordinates had been turned, causing him to attack his captain. He'd be fine so long as he didn't drink the blood of a vampire. I wanted to do everything in my power to help my friends out of this situation. This fight was with my lieutenant. The first thud. My silver haired companion had hit the ground, his subordinate standing over him.

"They're too fast!" Love yelled, cocking his gun before positioning it to fire. I cursed under my breath, trying to think of what to do. I immediately ran to my friend, turning him over and looking at his pale face.

"But how? They can't be turned without feeding their victim!" I felt frustrated as his face grew paler, fangs beginning to protrude from his normal teeth. I heard a low chuckle, looking up at my former lieutenant. "Aizen, What did you do?!"

"Well you see Captain Hirako, the victims need to be given the blood, but no one ever said you had to 'feed' them." He explained, holding up a syringe full of the crimson liquid. That's when I looked down and noticed the small puncture wound in Kensei's forearm. The next thud I heard was Rose. Ichimaru Gin stood over him, syringe in hand, smile taking up half his face.

"G'night Cap'n." He chuckled to the blonde. I felt my nerves breaking down when Love had collapsed without warning. It was then my turn. I could feel Aizen's hand on my shoulder, his fangs sinking into my flesh. Everything began to go blurry. I could feel a certain 'calmness' come over me, like I was headed toward a light. I was resolved to let it envelope me, but it didn't. When I opened my eyes next, I was in nirvana.

Colors more vibrant, smells stronger, the texture of the wooden floor I had been sitting on felt both rough and smooth under my paler finger tips. "Hey." A familiar voice rang in my ears and I lifted my head to look into Kisuke Urahara's stone colored eyes. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Kisuke?" I asked. "Where are we?" There were no windows, which let me know wherever I was, it was underground. Kisuke frowned at me.

"I tried to reverse the effects, but I couldn't find any way to do it. I came up with a chemical that is almost the 'anti-vampire' blood. I injected you and the other three captains with it, but it didn't 'reverse' the effects. It made you stronger." I looked up at him with wide eyes. "I've come to find it takes about a week for a vampire to awaken after being changed and the day after they wake up, they go into a frenzy and don't remember anything the next day. You were the last to wake up." It hadn't made sense to me at the time, but it didn't have to. I was undead and my life would never be the same. We were exiled from the hunter's clan and had to leave our homes and take refuge in a rundown warehouse.

* * *

"ya see Ichigo, we didn't come here by free will. Another vampire took yer life, and to save ya from becomin' a monster, I brought you to Kisuke."

"So, where did the girls and Hachi come from?" Ichigo questioned. He had finally decided it was time to calmly talk to this man.

"I found Hiyori a few years after were turned. Rose found Lisa in 1967 and Kensei found Mashiro a couple years ago. All of our circumstances are the same. We were each part of hunter clans and were targeted by Sosuke Aizen. Hachi was a friend of a friend and we let him come with us after Kisuke fixed 'em up." They were a family; People who had been wronged by someone and took refuge in the fact that they had each other. They were misunderstood and Ichigo had taken it the wrong way. Maybe, they weren't all that bad.


	3. Not What It Seems

A/N: I have a lot of mixed feelings about this chapter. It is a bit rushed, but I needed to update and it seemed alright when I fist wrote it. I want to develop Ichigo's relationship with each Vizard. I also wanted to add a bit development to each of them, so this chapter and a tiny bit of the next one will be IchiMashi BROTP centric. So, without further a due, I give you chapter 3

_"Ichigo!" She's calling me. "Please Ichigo!" But I can't see her. "Wake up, dammit!" This voice, it's so familiar. _

"Ichigo, wake up ya dumbass!" He was woken up by the sharp sound of Hiyori's voice and a sandal colliding with his chin.

He let out a growl, rubbing the quickly swelling flesh. "Hiyori, I'm getting real sick of this wake up routine."

"Don't care." She spat, her honey colored eyes seeming more distant than usual. "Dumbass number one wants to see ya downstairs." Ichigo raised an eyebrow, unsure if she was just trying to rush him up. He stood and checked himself over in the mirror. "Now!"

"I'm coming you gremlin!" He responded. His feet made an awkward scuffing noise down the all too familiar hallway.

It had been a month since he moved in with the 'vizards', the name they gave their little coven, and he was becoming oddly accustomed to the warehouse and its occupants. He had spent most of his time with Shinji and Hiyori, the latter being his alarm clock, while Shinji helped him maintain control over his 'gift'. There were a number of ridiculous rules he had to remember. Nothing was taboo, minus the topic of Sosuke Aizen. The second rule, make sure Mashiro got coffee, since it helped subdue her ADHD, though Kensei or Hachi were normally in charge of the situation. The third rule, don't snap at Rose for outwardly stating what you're thinking, it's a mere impulse. Ichigo sighed. There sure were a lot of things to remember.

"Are you listenin' to me?!" Hiyori snapped. He directed his attention to the blonde walking a few steps in front of him.

"Since when do I listen to you, snaggletooth?" She'd earned that nickname, due to the fact that one of her fangs was longer than the other, protruding from her mouth with her normal perma-scowl.

He could tell it took a large amount of restraint not to smack the daylights out of him with her sandal. "Whatever. I was sayin' that we have a special assignment today."

"Oh yeah?" He snickered as they entered the common room. Seven sets of eyes all fixated on him.

He was greeted by Shinji's large, irreplaceable grin. "We're goin' huntin'." He laughed.

"Vampires, who hunt vampires. This is ridiculous." Ichigo ignored the humming of the person next to him, trying to wrap his head around the situation.

"What's so weird about it, Berry-tan~?" Mashiro asked, cocking her head to the side. He looked down at her and laughed a little.

"It's just weird that you're not trying to make nice with them."

Another head cock, only to the opposite side. "I don't think it's werid."

"Say's the girl with green hair." He rolled his eyes, continuing to walk. "Why'm I babysitting you anyway?"

She scrunched up her nose disapprovingly. "Because we always draw names from a hat on hunting day!" She chirped, throwing her fist upward.

"Alright, whatever." He decided to dismiss the conversation. Another rule? Don't argue with Mashiro or you'll end up having to talk her down from a tantrum. Ichigo looked down at the small female, as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. He was amazed that the most temperamental of the lot-Kensei- was in charge of taking care of her.

She tipped her head up, sniffing the autumn air. "I smell blood."

"That so?" He asked. The aroma of iron suddenly smacked him in the face, turning his stomach sour. Before he could blink, she was off in a different direction. "Hey, would you wait?!"

"No time!" She replied. He had come to find while training that Shinji determined Ichigo had a large amount of speed, him managing to catch up to her with little effort. Mashiro came to a halt, Ichigo bumping into her. "Ya see that Berry-tan?" She instructed. Her small finger pointed to a grotesque figure in front of them. To others, it was a woman, but the creature in question was on frenzy. Fangs protruding, eyes glowing the color of blood lust, along with her claws digging into her victim. Ichigo turned away, trying to ignore the scene.

"What is that?" He asked. Mashiro ignored the question, walking over to the woman. She went unfazed with her white tank top was stained with the blood flying from the corpse. "Looks like you lost control, huh?" She giggled. "That's sad, we coulda been friends." The 'friend' in question dropped her meal, darting towards Ichigo's companion. Instinctively, he shot from his position, pushing Mashiro out of the way and shielding her. "What the deal?" She whined.

"I just save you!" He yelled. She pouted, not realizing the graveness of her situation. He turned to see the vampire tilting her head around in different directions. Ichigo stood, helping Mashiro up once he was steady on his feet. He patted her head a little. "You ok?" Mashiro gave him a salute. He unsheathed the sword hooked to his belt. "Aren't you gonna-" She discarded her sword in a random direction, throwing a kick at the monster. Her heel collided with the side of it's head. Ichigo shrugged, tightening his grip on the hilt.

Mashiro looked back at him, smirking as the katana's black began emulating a blue light. Hazel orbs fixated on red ones, as Mashiro's eyes began to shift through different colors. "Come on." She mumbled, out stretching her hand to the creature. It appeared hypnotized, or in a daze as it approached her. The green haired girl's face contorted into a small smirk.

"What're you-" Mashiro shushed him, pulling the vampire closer to her.

"Such a shame, I could have ended up like you without my Kensei." She mumbled, running her hands through the taller woman's raven colored hair. "I sympathize with you." He had suddenly realized why everyone in the coven put up with this girl. Her childish behavior was a simple mask to hide all of the pain she was feeling. She felt bad for the other creatures and even felt bad for being given the chance to maintain a human state of mind. It was swift movement, Ichigo may not have believed it happened, till Mashiro was standing in front of him, holding the woman's head in one hand as the rest of her fell to the ground. She threw the head back to the body. "Do it now."

Ichigo pulled his sword back, swinging it in the direction of the body and blasting it with a fiery light. Mashiro frowned. Walking to the edge of the ally. She chuckled a little before turning back to him. "I'm real sorry, I guess I didn't let you hunt." He raised an eyebrow at how quickly the air around them changed, despite the quickly burning body behind them.

He sheathed his sword, pulled his jacket off, and placed it on the girl's shoulders. "Don't worry about it. Put this on, I'm not walking the streets with a girl in a blood soaked shirt." He instructed. She smiled, sliding her arms through the sleeves.

"Thanks Berry-tan. You can be my new best friend." She mused, skipping away, only turning back to make sure he was following her.

_ Fantastic…_


	4. The Turning Point

A/N: Two chapters in one week. Whoah. Fucking. Whoah. I'm sorry about this chapter, it's a bit long and possibly a bit ridiculous. (maybe a bit oocish) anyways, enjoy. I LOVED the reviews you guys have been giving me! It encourages me to keep writing, so thank you. Without further a due, here you are. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

* * *

Ichigo had still been feeling rather uneasy since the encounter with the 'lost' this morning. They referred to vampires who had lost control or their will for humanity as 'the lost'. It was suitable name for the monsters. The common room was quieter than normal, due to Mashiro retreating to her chambers and asking to be left alone from a while. Shinji huffed, flipping through television programs. "This is boring~!" He exaggerated mocking the missing females tone. "You guys 're like statues."

Lisa raised an eyebrow over her magazine at the whining blonde. "Do you know how often we get silence?" She questioned him. "Soak it up." The raven haired female grabbed one of her 'special' magazines, hurling it in Shinji's direction.

His toothy grin returned to it's usual spot on his face. "Thanks Lisa." He continued to chuckle while flipping through pages.

"She isn't your first love Shinji, she's in a magazine." Rose stated, rolling his violet eyes. Everyone couldn't help but laughed at the rebuttal to the statement never told, but you didn't need to be Rose to know what the leader of their motley crew was thinking.

"Yer so stupid, Shinji!" Hiyori snapped. He didn't bother to respond to her, but instead stuck his pinky finger idly in his nose, flinging it's content's in the freckle faced girl's direction. "I'm gonna hit you ya baldy!" She growled, lunging toward the thin man. Placing his arms out, Ichigo caught her mid flight, holding her back from her offender.

"You don't wanna do that." Ichigo huffed.

He was met with a barrage of slaps, kicks, and curse words. "You don't know that!" She snapped.

"I do know. Last time you two scrapped, it ended in both of you not talking for a week." He had a valid point, causing her to end her tirade before it began. Everyone's attention was taken off of Hiyori when they heard Kenei scoot his chair back.

Everyone looked at him with curiosity, causing his eyebrow to twitch, while accompanied by a scowl."What?"

"You seem much more detached than usual." Lisa stated, her blue eyes giving him a knowing glance. "You should probably go check on her."

He nodded his head in agreement. "I was going to." After the silver haired man exited the room, Ichigo decided it was appropriate to speak.

Rose smirked, revealing Ichigo's question before he even got to ask. "Kensei and Mashiro may bicker, but he cares a great deal for her, and vice versa."

"Could you humor me sometime and let me actually ask a question?" The orange haired boy demanded. Rose shrugged, returning to fiddling with the strings on his guitar.

"Rose's got too big of a mouth to do that." The afro haired Vizard chuckled.

Violet eyes looked at his friend. "I'm hurt, Love. I thought we were friends?" He fell back, placing his hand dramatically over his forehead and signing.

Not paying attention to Ichigo, Rose almost missed his question. "So how long have you guys been dating?" Ichigo asked the two. Love broke out in fits of laughter, while Rose attempted to come back from the initial shock of the question.

"Hate to break it to you, but we're both straight." Love informed him.

"Oh I just assumed-"

"You assumed wrong." Rose crossed his arms over his chest, giving the teen a pouty look. Was Ichigo supposed to believe that? Another chuckle came from across the room. Lisa stood, walking over to Rose and sitting down next to him.

"I'd be really disappointed if he were gay." Ichigo could feel his jaw dangling somewhere near his chest. Was she joking? He'd never seen them really 'interact' in any sort of romantic way.

"Relationships are personal, Ichigo. Just because we're not going at it on the couch doesn't mean theres nothing there." Rose pressed his hand on the bridge of his nose, trying to reason with the teen. Ichigo's eye continued to twitch in disbelief.

Shinji chuckled lightly. "Nah it's true Ichigo. Lisa wouldn't be here if it weren't for Rose." The blonde looked in a different direction, his brown eyes looking as though he was remember something nostalgic. "My little babies 're all growin' up." Thwack! Another sandal to the head.

"He's the same age as you, baldy!" Hiyori yelled. Shinji yelped, holding his bleeding nose.

"'s no reason ta hit me ya gremlin!" Shinji rolled his eyes at her. "Can someone get me somethin' to stop the bleeding?"

Ichigo decided now would be the perfect time to go to bed, waving to his 'friends'. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning." The others simply muttered 'g'night's and 'whatever's. He headed down the dark hallway, stopping at a white door that was partially cracked. He could hear a light sobbing from the inside, along with a more gentle sounding Kensei than usual. Ichigo decided not to linger, leaving Kensei to his 'work'. Kensei's honey colored eyes looked up at the girl from his spot on the floor. This was different that talking her down from a tantrum. She was genuinely upset.

Her small hands balled up the pink sheets on the bed she was sitting on. "I-I don't like this anymore." She whined.

"What? What don't you like?" He asked, concern lacing his tone. Kensei had you use different voices for different things. Mashiro would be the only to ever hear him talk like this.

She used the back of her hand to wipe away some stray tears. "I don't. . . like being l-like this." The green haired girl choked on more tears, only causing them to fall at a more rapid rate. "I-I feel like a monster." He sighed, resting a hand on her leg.

"Listen, Mashiro." In an attempt to sooth her, he began running his thumb back and forth. "It's my fault you're like this. You're not a monster."

"But why do I get another chance?!" She snapped. "By all r-rights, I should be like th. . .them." She swallowed hard, not wanting to tell him the last part. Kensei had wanted a companion. He knew eventually their little group would go their separate ways, so when that man struck again, using this girl as another test subject, he didn't hesitate. He was impulsive, not thinking about how it would affect her.

He rested his head on her knees, not knowing what else to say. "I'm sorry." Kensei muttered.

After a few moment of silence, she managed to calm down enough to speak again. "It's ok. I know Kensei doesn't wanna be alone and I'm not going anywhere." Mashiro places a hand in his silver hair, running her fingers through it. "'Sides, I made some really neat friends. Even if you're a dumby, I still like you."

He let out a raspy laugh. "You're the dumb one." Getting up to his feet, Kensei sat on the bed next to her and pushed some fallen hair out of her face.

"Stupid Kensei."

* * *

It was around 3 am. The entire warehouse was woken up to the sound of frantic feet running through the hallway. "Wake up there's someone here!" As she ran, Hiyori let her sheathed sword drag across the walls, making more noise to alert the heavier sleepers. The first person up was Shinji. He ran over to the panicking female, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"What happened." He tightened his grip, almost as if he would squeeze the answers out of her.

She huffed, trying to catch her nonexistent breath. "The. . . the other c-coven. They found our. . ." She took another breath. "Hideout."

Shinji thought for a second, calling again to the others. "Would you wake up already?!" Shinji yelled. "Stay here, Hiyori." One after the other, the doors opened, everyone exiting. Shinji went to Hachi first. "I need you to pump up the barrier, ya got that?" The self proclaimed leader ordered.

"Yes sir." He responded.

"I want you all to break off into groups!" The blonde could feel his blood boiling, his face coming off like a deer caught in headlights. "One combat type and one energy type per unit! Guard the every entrance! Ichigo, Hiyori, come with me!" Everyone followed suit, listening to the thin man. One frantic sloppy step after the other and the three were underground. "Hiyori, which coven is it."

She looked nervous for a second, balling the edge of her white t-shirt in her hands. "Espada." He let out a low growl.

The situation caught up to Ichigo, helping his confusion set in. "We're under attack? By who?" He asked.

Shinji bit the inside of his cheek. "Aizen." It was the name. The one taboo in their coven. The one thing Ichigo knew never to say. "He runs a large coven called 'espada'. Apparently they were tipped off when we killed some of their members while huntin' yesterday." He explained. "They refer to their members as 'arrancars'. They're bad news." He explained. Shinji began fidgeting with a control panel and Ichigo could see large metal barriers drop in front of the small basement windows. "Anyway, the 10 main 'arrancars' are what he actually refers to as 'espada'. The rest are just little pawns."

Hiyori's hand grabbed at the edge of the blonde's shirt nervously. Shinji looked down at her, giving her a reassuring glance.

"So, what do they want with us?" Ichigo asked.

"Aizen's after a couple people in the coven. Some abilities are rarer than others and he wants them." After finishing with the control panel, he lead the two back up to the main level.

"Who's he want?" Ichigo was becoming more confused than before.

"'s not important." Shinji stood in the center of the warehouse, making sure everyone was in their designated areas. "What's important is makin' sure everyone is safe." A toothy grin spread across his face. "Theres no way I'm losin' my family to that bastard." Ichigo returned his smile. Slam! There was pounding, all from different directions. Startled by the sound, Hiyori jumped a bit, gripping the hilt to her sword. Shinji placed a gentle hand on her lower back, moving his hand in a soothing motion. "Chill out, monkey, yer not the type to flip out on me, now are ya?" He laughed.

She growled a little. "Idiot. I'm not scared."

"Good." After the little exchanged, the door caved in. They noticed three figures. The one in the middle was a muscled man, about average height, with messy ice colored hair.

His face was smug and mocking them. "Looks like a party in here, huh?!" He hollered.


	5. Where Did You Go?

**Whoah! Look who updated! This chapters a bit brief, but I'm really trying. Anywho, I've been getting so much encouragement and I love you guys for it 3 Thank you so much for keeping me driven.**

* * *

Thin fingers ran across his sheathed sword, as Shinji prepared for any sudden movements. A hollow chuckle echoed the blue haired intruder's throat. "Let's see, whadda we got here?" He pondered, looking around at the gathering Vizards. "Elementals and sensory type, nice."

Hiyori scoffed at his display. "Who the hell're you?" The blonde snapped. Shinji looked down at her with a warning look. If she had seen it, she gave no indication.

"I'm Grimmjow." Smug features twisted into what they could only assume was the bliss of watching people be wary of his presence. "Huh" He started, his eyes fixing on Ichigo. "Aizen didn't tell me about him." Grimmjow stepped closer, the three in the center of the warehouse taking a step back. "I'm not here to fight today, sadly." He scoffed.

"Then why'd you bring them?" Hiyori spat, pointing to the two behind the blue haired 'espada'.

"They're back up." He huffed. "Incase you morons decide to do something stupid." The first guy was extremely large, with red hair( the little bit he had), and a rather 'demonic' expression. The second guy was very tall, but thin. His toothy grin mimicked Shinji's, only with a more threatening twinge to it. They couldn't see much of him, his black hair hanging loosely over one eye, while the other squinted as his smirk grew wider. They'd be lying if they said they weren't intimidated by the trio. They set off a certain air that was similar to a lion stalking it's prey.

Shinji's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. "What business do you Espada have here? We've done nothin' but kill some'a your vermin, so it ain't like that earned us a visit from you." The blonde gave a shallow laugh. "Hell, I've seen ya kill some of 'em yourself." Grimmjow gave him a mocking nodd. He had a point.

"Aizen said it's about time a couple of you fell in line. Says you owe him a debt and he's gonna collect it whether you comply or not." Shinji's brow furrowed in protest.

The blonde was snapping. "There's no way in hell anyone in this family is becomin' one of Aizen's pawns."

"I wasn't talking about today smart guy." The blue haired man rolled his eyes. "As far as i'm concerned, he just sent me to tell you that, not to take any of you by force." He yawned, turning and walking back to his companions. "I'm positive after a while, one of you's gonna cave and come crawling due to concern for your 'coven'." He snickered. "We'll have our battle soon enough, so stay on your toes." With that they were gone. The air through the warehouse was still, tense. Nobody moved, or spoke. They were awaiting confirmation from their sel proclaimed leader that it was ok to leave.

"Come 'ere." Shinji's voice was quiet, but the message came through, loud and clear. Everyone was gathered within seconds. 7 sets of eyes focused on their blonde leader. "I know we're a little on edge right now, but uh" He didn't really know what to say, he just knew he needed to say something fast. "Look, things seem bad, but if we stick together-"

"What, Shinji?" a deep voice rose from the crowd. Kensei's growl echoed through the warehouse, making everyone go tense. "We're supposed to sit here, listen to a pep talk, and wait?" His hand gripped the small pale one he was holding, not bothering to look into her pleading eyes. Mashiro was silently begging him to stop. To not blow things out of proportion. But he was right. "If we don't come up with a plan, I'm not gonna stay here and watch all everyone get taken out."

"Kensei, you're being impulsive." Rose sighed.

The silver haired man's head snapped toward Rose. "Am I, Rose?" He snarled. "Or am I the only one making sense. We can't just wait for them to come to us and decide what ot do on the spot." Shinji took a step closer to Kensei, their faces inches apart as they stared each other down.

Shinji decided he'd break the silence first. "You need to think about what yer sayin', cap'n." The blonde man spat.

"I was a captain, Hirako. A damn good one. I never stormed in or waited, I don't know how the 5th division in the hunters clan worked, but the 9th was a completely different story."

"So yer just gonna leave than, of we don't do things yer way, huh?"

"Guess so." Kensei's stone face turned away from Shinji, not being able to hold his gaze anymore.

There was a small sniffle that echoed near the two men. Shinji looked down at the girl, frowning. "What about her than, Kensei? You gonna leave Mashiro when you very well know she's one of the prime targets?"

Kensei finally looked at Mashiro. Seeing her in such a state, eyes puffy, lip trembling, was almost like putting alcohol in an open wound. Her hazel eyes looked to him, searching for a sign that he wasn't really leaving. "Please" Her words were almost inaudible, he barely heard her. "I don't want you to go, you butt head." She half chuckled, choking on her own tears in the process.

"I wouldn't leave without you. You know that." He sighed. Her grip on his hand became tighter.

"I don't wanna go either, though."

He faced her and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. "It's not safe for you here anymore."

Shinji chuckled. "'S not safe for Hachi, or Hiyori, or even me, but we're a family, Kensei."

It wasn't so much about watching things fall apart that Kensei was scared of, as much as it was protecting this girl. This girl whom he had stolen from her home. This girl whom he had given a new life. This girl whom he had sworn to protect.

"If ya want, we'll plan an escape route for ya guys, 'case things get all sticky, ya know?" Kensei looked down at Mashiro, then back to the blonde.

"Fine. But if things end badly, I'm holding you personally responsible."

Shinji's grin grew wide before yelling to everyone. "I've got a plan, guys!"

* * *

Tap tap tap. "Come in." The metal door cracked open slightly, a head of red hair peeking through.

"Uh, captain Kuchiki, Rukia's here to talk to you." The dark haired man raised an eyebrow, setting down the papers he was working on.

"Send her in, Renji." He ordered.

"Yes captain." Seconds later, the redhead disappeared, being replaced by a small raven haired female.

She fidgeted with her hands, standing nervously in front of the desk. "What is it, Rukia?" He asked, feeling impatient with her fidgeting.

"Brother, I'm worried." She sighed. Purple hues met stone ones as she tried to stand her ground. "Ichigo's been missing for a month."

"Ichigo Kurosaki is no longer our problem." His gaze was stern and frightening.

"But, Ichigo is-"

"Enough Rukia. There's nothing we can do about the matter."

She placed her hands to her side, not wanting to step down on the matter. "Just give me permission to look for him. Please, Byakuya, I'm begging you." More staring. As much as he didn't want to, he found arguing with her decision would make things worse.

"Fine. Don't tell your captain I'm the one who let you go. Don't even tell him you're going. He doesn't need stress on top of his condition." The black haired man sighed. He reached into his desk, pulled out a slip of paper, scribbled a few things down, and handed it to Rukia. "Give this to the gate keeper."

She held it in her hands, reading the beautiful handwriting.

Kuchiki Rukia is ordered on a mission to the mainland. She will be gone for a week.

6th Division Captain,

Kuchiki Byakuya

She gleefully squealed, before darting out of the room, a thank you trailing behind her.

"Kurosaki Ichigo will be the death of me." He sighed.

* * *

Rukia found her feet carrying her faster than she could comprehend. Once she reached the dock for the mainland, she found herself rocking on her heels in anticipation. "I will find you, Ichigo. I owe you that much." She told herself. She ran her fingers across the large rifle at her side. It was rare for only a vice captain to go on a mission like this one, and for thank she thanked her brother. Byakuya never approved of Ichigo, she knew why, but it still upset her from time to time.

"You ready?" The boat driver at the end of the dock asked her. She nodded at him and boarded the small boat. Rukia was determined. She would not leave the mainland without finding her friend.


End file.
